Official Review: How to Survive in America

[kayla1080]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "How to Survive in America" by Ian C Dawkins Moore.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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How to Survive in America is part instruction, part self-help, some poetry, his biography and a guide for adjusting to life in America all rolled into one. Author Ian C. Dawkins Moore sets the tone of this book with irony and sarcasm. It kind of came off in the beginning as self-righteous political satire.

At first I thought maybe Moore met some obnoxious American in his home country and decided to write a rant about it, grouping all Americans in the same category. He talks about how the most important thing to Americans is money and how they have little in common with each other and are too individualistic. He relates Americans to Miss Piggy from Sesame Street (everything being about “moi”) and everything being “cute” to them, like the President. I did learn a new word in this section- “celebrifiable”- which I guess means what Californians strive towards to determine their own importance. The author states that Americans don’t think they’re going to die and Californians in particular have a lack of self-worth and integrity.

Being a born and raised Californian, I found this section offensive, but he did acknowledge that items in this book will piss off Americans, because we can’t handle the truth about ourselves.

But I kept reading and surprisingly it got better, as the author completely switched tracks and shared some tips on “learning how to learn”. He discusses communication, how to give a speech and getting a job, while sharing what he learned from his students (and pitching his own consulting services.)

In pages 23-plus, I finally saw Moore being honest and straightforward, which helped his credibility. Moore shared his background, stories of his travels, living in Oakland, Calif., and his love of literature. He gave some tips on being a government employee, which I found interesting because I work for a government agency. I even started to agree with Moore- I liked how he recognized that startups focus on creativity and growth.

However, just as I was starting to trust him, the book ended, with a poem and how to get more information about his workshops. Even though this is a quick 54-page read, I would’ve liked to get a little more. There were also some grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and the poems inserted throughout the book seemed to interrupt the flow.

I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars because although there were some good points in here, I was on the verge of abandoning it because of how it started off in the beginning. I wish that How To Survive in America was restructured to start out with the positivity and tips first.

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How to Survive in America
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Like kayla1080's review? Post a comment saying so!

[bookowlie]

Nice, insightful review! It's never good when a reader doesn't like the beginning of a book. It's an uphill battle from there. It seems like there are some good tips, but it just didn't gel as an entire book.

[Jesska6029]

It's a shame you didn't enjoy this book. However, your review is really good. You include reasons why you did not care for certain things. Great job!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Goodness! How did the author expect a better review than 1-star after dissing Americans that way?? It sounds like his "book" is a pamphlet to advertize his workshops, which I hope aren't all anti-American!! I'm a little peeved with this author.

Great review, though! I totally agree with 1-star.

[kayla1080]

Yes, I never realized how hard it is to review a book that you're not that into. I mean, there were some funny and interesting tidbits, but the author stereotyping all Americans right off the bat like that made it hard to enjoy the rest of the book. What kind of example does that set for people from other cultures trying to adapt here?

Thanks for all of your support!

[zeldas_lullaby]

You're welcome! I think know how you feel as a Californian, being offended like that. I had a similar experience when I went to the movie theater (years and years ago) to see Clueless with Alicia Silverstone. At the end of the movie, she said something like, "Yeah, I'm in love with my stepbrother, but I didn't marry him--what is this, Kentucky?" And everyone in the theater booed and threw popcorn.

I actually find that amusing now, but still--dissing Californians isn't very nice! I've never been to CA, but I've always wanted to visit!!

[PashaRu]

I almost picked this book for review. Glad I didn't. Nice review, and thanks for taking one for the team!!

[zeldas_lullaby]

And that cover--it's like he's giving America the kiss-off.

[kayla1080]

PashRu- Haha, as far taking one for the team, no problem. Luckily right now I'm really enjoying the book I'm reviewing
zeldas_lullaby- I never even thought about the cover shot that way! (I guess that was a warning?)

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA HA--nah, I wouldn't have figured it out without reading it first!!